Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Road Trip Nation Interview - Karry Mullis


For the Roadtrip Nation assignment, I choose to watch the interview by Karry Mullis, a chemist who won the Nobel Prize winner. His interview can be seen here:


Kary Mullis didn't need any encouragement to love chemistry; he'd always felt pulled toward it. After years of study and research, he received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1993 for his invention of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The process, which Kary conceptualized in 1983, is hailed as one of the monumental scientific techniques of the twentieth century. He is a Distinguished Researcher at Children's Hospital and Research Institute at Oakland. Kary serves on the board of scientific advisors of several companies, provides expert advice in legal matters involving DNA, and is a frequent lecturer at college campuses, corporations and academic meetings.

His interview is inspiring. What strikes me as the most surprising is that he does not really have a plan for himself, he doesn’t consciously make a choice about what he wants to do. He just takes things as they go along. His advice is to possess a sense of confidence that something good will come and you should be able to identify it when it does. He thinks life should not be a narrow path and it’s good to stand back and take on other opportunities as they appear.

The ending of his interview is great. “I am not everything. I’m me. I’m the total of the things I’m interested in. And I’m interested in a lot.” It shows a humble approach to life, and the thirst for knowledge.

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